Great Britain’s men and women have each made three changes to their teams for this weekend’s FIH Pro League matches in London.
The women’s team play first on Friday evening as they host China in the capital, and Scottish duo Nicki Cochrane & Sarah Robertson come into the 18, along with Surbiton’s Emily Defroand.
The men play their first ever FIH Pro League fixture against Spain on Saturday, and three players under the age of 25 have been brought in – Will Calnan, Luke Taylor and James Gall.
There will be a significant milestone for Laura Unsworth on Friday as she becomes one of a very select band of women to reach 100 caps for Great Britain. Then on Saturday’s men’s goalkeeper George Pinner reaches 50 GB caps, and both milestones will be marked before the matches.
The women’s game begins at 7:30pm on Friday evening, with the men’s match starting at 12pm on Saturday. Both games take place at Lee valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, and tickets start from just £5. They are available in advance, or in person at the venue.
Women’s team
Giselle Ansley (Surbiton) (ENG)
Grace Balsdon (Canterbury) (ENG)
Nicki Cochrane (Beeston) (SCO) (GK)
Amy Costello (University of Birmingham) (SCO)
Emily Defroand (Surbiton) (ENG)
Sarah Evans (Surbiton) (ENG)
Tess Howard (Durham University) (ENG)
Alex Malzer (University of Nottingham) (ENG)
Hannah Martin (Surbiton) (ENG)
Lily Owsley (University of Birmingham) (ENG)
Hollie Pearne-Webb (Surbiton) (ENG) (C)
Suzy Petty (Wimbledon) (ENG)
Ellie Rayer (East Grinstead) (ENG)
Sarah Robertson (Hampstead & Westminster) (SCO)
Erica Sanders (Surbiton) (ENG)
Amy Tennant (Reading) (ENG) (GK)
Anna Toman (Wimbledon) (ENG)
Laura Unsworth (East Grinstead) (ENG)
Men’s team
David Ames (Holcombe) (ENG)
Will Calnan (Hampstead & Westminster) (ENG)
David Condon (East Grinstead) (ENG)
Brendan Creed (Surbiton) (ENG)
Adam Dixon (Beeston) (ENG) (C)
Alan Forsyth (Surbiton) (SCO)
James Gall (Surbiton) (ENG)
Harry Gibson (Surbiton) (ENG) (GK)
Chris Griffiths (East Grinstead) (ENG)
Harry Martin (Hampstead & Westminster) (ENG)
George Pinner (Holcombe) (ENG) (GK)
Phil Roper (Wimbledon) (ENG)
Ian Sloan (Wimbledon) (ENG)
Luke Taylor (Surbiton) (ENG)
Zach Wallace (Surbiton) (ENG)
Jack Waller (Wimbledon) (ENG)
Sam Ward (Old Georgians) (ENG)
Ollie Willars (Beeston) (ENG)
Women’s Head Coach Mark Hager said, “After the atmosphere against USA on Saturday, we’re very much looking forward to playing at home again on Friday night. China will be a tough team, they’re getting better with each game they play. They’ve had some good results of late so it will be a challenge for us.
“We’ve made a few amendments to our team, it’s important we give opportunities to as many players as possible, especially in a competitive environment like the FIH Pro League.
“We are still developing but I thought we showed some good aspects to our play against USA at the weekend. The FIH Pro League is a great opportunity and playing home games in London is a fantastic experience.”
Men’s Head Coach Danny Kerry commented, “We continue to shuffle our team to ensure competition for places, growth in the depth of experience and we have therefore brought in Calnan, Taylor and Gall.
“Having watched Spain play the Netherlands recently – where the Dutch ‘keeper kept the home team in the match during the first half – we will again need to be at our very best to stay with a highly talented and well organised Spanish team.
“We are excited about playing at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre for the first time in the FIH Pro League, and we look forward to the atmosphere of our home support.”
The women’s team secured two points in their last game at home to the USA, and will be looking for another positive result against a Chinese side one place below them in the League table.
The men currently lead the men’s table as they enter a crunch period in their fixture list. Spain have secured four draws so far, then winning every one of their shootouts so will pose a tough challenge on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
A day out at the FIH Pro League includes world class hockey and also the opportunity to play on the pitch after the game, as well as meeting our athletes for autographs and selfies. With tickets from just £5 for Under 18s and £15 adults, it’s great value for a fantastic experience on and off the pitch. Click here to buy tickets.
Courtesy of GB Hockey
